Netflix did it again with “Blue Eye Samurai” being its greatest animated show. “Blue Eye Samurai” is a magnificent work of art that encompasses exceptional storytelling, mesmerizing animation and more.
I’ve been a huge fan of animation for years, and when I saw the first trailer for “Blue Eye Samurai” on YouTube, I had to know more. I booted up Netflix and started watching the first season.
In “Blue Eye Samurai”, we follow Mizu, a mixed-raced swordswoman who travels through the Edo period, or 17th century Japan, on a mission to find the person who ruined her life. Being mixed-raced, the world around her treats her poorly, and the only one who treats her with kindness is her Sword Father.
While watching, I saw all the effort that the show runners put into the world. The show was like watching a new star being born: the storytelling, paired with stellar animation, showcased what an adult animated series can do.
Her adopted father, “Master Eiji” or Sword Father as he’s called in the series, teaches her how to make swords and trains her in the ways of a samurai. He is a kind and wise man and won’t hesitate to knock some sense into Mizu. He will also support whatever path she may take.
Along the way, Mizu meets many people on her travels who accompany her. This includes Taigen, a swordsman who wants a rematch against Mizu, and Ringo, a former soba cook who appoints himself her apprentice.
I love their father-and-daughter relationship, especially when they make swords together. The Sword Father cares for her like his own child. I also love that Mizu can defeat almost any man who carries a sword or calls themselves a samurai.
One of the things that I didn’t like was the length of the episodes. The episode lengths ranged from an hour to fifty minutes. It also likes to drag out certain parts of the story and could have benefited from shorter episode lengths.
Another thing I also would have liked to see is Ringo and Taigen get more screen time. They were great on-screen and balanced well with Mizu’s strong-headed character type. Even Taigen’s love interest, Akemi, got more screen time than him.
Another thing I liked was the villain, Abijah Fowler, as it was a nice change to see an actual threatening villain. He gave me chills every time he was on screen. He is possibly the most dangerous character in the show besides Mizu. I would have liked to see him get some more screen time too.
The series is fantastic and the animation is stellar. It has a mix of 2D and 3D animation that makes it look incredible. The characters and world-building show the love the crew put into this. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys watching action, drama, sword fighting and a well-written story. I give this series a 4.5 out of 5 Lopers stars because while the show and animation were spectacular, some areas like the run time made it slightly hard to binge the series.
